A Reminder That Help and Hope is All Around Us
By Michael James
I am sure that, just like me, my fellow, regular monthly contributors to this fine magazine often sit in front of their computers asking themselves, “What can I write about this month that might be of interest to our readers?”. Or, perhaps it’s only me? The other writers may be full of ideas for articles and may even struggle to decide which to write first. I am more of the school of, ‘leave it to the last minute’ school of thought or, to put it in another way, an ‘inspiration out of desperation’, kind of guy!’. That’s the situation that faced me earlier today, with the deadline of editor in the back of my mind and with nothing in my mind to fill the blank page before me.
to a greater or lesser extent with this and who face their
Then, my telephone rings. It’s a friend ringing to enquire
personal, ‘mountains of fear’ in their lives and that phone
how my Wife and I are doing. “Are you both OK? Are you
call struck a chord with me. It is even more significant
both well? Have you had your jabs? Is there anything I
because, as I write, we are in the middle of what has been
can do for you?”. Delighted to receive the call, I assured
nationally declared, ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’. A
her that we are OK, had our jabs, are both very well and
time that asks us to recognise and acknowledge those in
there is nothing that we need, thank you! However, what I
our community and in our family and friends who may be in
did say was how much her ringing meant to us and how it
need of help, even the help that making contact means if
really made our day. Just a little thing I know and perhaps
only by a simple smile or a cheery “hello”.
something that you might consider not worth mentioning.
To coincide and help with ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’,
If you do think that, then think again because a simple
the media has been full of many of our sport stars, and
telephone call, an e-mail, text message, letter or post
showbiz celebrities coming out to speak about how they too
card (if you are as old as I am), can often make the world
have suffered with their own problems with statements like,
of difference to the person you are contacting, especially
“I had no idea what mental health problems meant!”, or “If
during these long days of lockdown. Thankfully we seem
only I could have known others felt the same way as I did”.
to be coming out of that difficult period, but for many in
Many of them have said that they now know better and
our community they have been enduring their own form of
have benefited from having received counselling and are
lockdown even before Covid-19 became an issue and sadly,
now able to talk about it. Yes, talking about it does help but
it may be with them for some time to come, long after this
not only with the professionals. That may be the only way
present Coronavirus has gone away. I refer of course to
that some of us can get the help we need but sometimes it
those among us who regularly suffer from worries, anxiety,
can simply be by speaking to someone who is prepared to
loneliness, depression, and every other form of mental
listen, to enable us to ‘get it off our chests’. Talking, we are
disability you can think of disabilities that are not obviously
told, is often the first step in receiving the help we need. It’s
visible.
never an easy step and is often more difficult to open up to
The friend who rang us suffers with a number of these disabilities and therefore knows just how much someone
a family member but, as it says in the headline of this piece, ‘Remember that help and hope is all around us’.
asking how you are can mean and I know just how much
‘It’s good to talk’, so the old saying goes and if not to family
that phone call meant to her and to us. A great deal!! We
or friends, then to an organisation like the local branch of
have family and friends who suffer, or who have suffered
the ‘Samaritans’. They are often the first port of call for help,
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